'A matter of life and death': Activists fight for abortion rights in Poland

During decades of communist rule, Poland had one of the most liberal abortion laws in Europe. But in 1993, four years after the fall of communism, abortion was largely banned because the Catholic Church strongly advocated a complete ban on termination of pregnancy.

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25.12.2025. 07:17h

Their baby's heartbeat gave Dorota Lalik and her husband Marcin hope that everything could be fine after all.

Dorota, a 33-year-old pharmacist, was rushed to the hospital one Sunday morning when her water broke at 20 weeks pregnant.

In such circumstances, pregnancies are very risky and often unsustainable.

Without amniotic fluid, the fetus is at high risk of infections, which can cause sepsis, which can be fatal for the pregnant woman.

But Marcin says that he and Dorota, who was given antibiotics by doctors and advised to rest and keep her legs elevated, were repeatedly assured by hospital staff "that everything looked good and that no one was in danger."

On Monday, tests were performed that confirmed that the fetal heart was still beating.

"That reassured us a little, because it meant the baby was still alive," says Marcin.

But the next evening, Dorothy's health condition suddenly deteriorated.

First she complained of a headache, then she began vomiting, and in the early morning hours of May 24, 2023, an emergency operation was performed during which doctors removed the fetus.

Family lawyers claim that doctors delayed performing the procedure, and when they finally decided, it was too late.

Later that May 24th, Dorota died of sepsis which caused organ failure.

A lawsuit has been filed against the doctor at the hospital where she was treated and an investigation is underway.

The case caused anger of the people everywhere countries due to limited reproductive rights in Poland, where abortion was effectively banned in 2021.

'They waited until the last moment'

During decades of communist rule, Poland had one of the most liberal abortion laws in Europe.

But in 1993, four years after the fall of communism, abortion was largely banned because the Catholic Church strongly advocated a complete ban on termination of pregnancy.

The then Pope John Paul II was Polish.

The Polish Constitutional Court then declared unconstitutional in 2020 the last significant exception for termination of pregnancy, severe fetal anomalies, which accounted for 98 percent of all legal abortions at the time.

Abortion is now only permitted in three cases: when the pregnancy is the result of rape and incest, and when the health or life of the pregnant woman is at risk.

Malta, another strongly Catholic country, is the only member of the European Union (EU) besides Poland where abortion is de facto banned.

It implements even stricter laws that allow abortion only when the life of the pregnant woman is seriously endangered.

Dorothy's family, who sued the Pope John Paul II Hospital in Novi Targ where she was treated, for negligent treatment, believes that her life could have been saved if the abortion had been performed earlier.

"They waited until the last minute to terminate the pregnancy, probably because they weren't sure at what point abortion was legally allowed," says Jolanta Budzovska, a family lawyer.

The Polish Commissioner for Patients' Rights said in 2023 that the hospital should have informed Dorota that terminating the pregnancy could save her life.

In April 2025, the prosecution filed charges against three doctors at the Pope John Paul II Hospital.

Two doctors are charged with endangering the life and health of a patient, and the third is accused of manslaughter.

They all pleaded not guilty.

Pope John Paul II Hospital told the BBC that it could not comment on Dorothy's case due to an ongoing investigation.

They added that after Dorothy's death, the gynecology and obstetrics department was reorganized, staff changes were made, and new procedures for providing emergency care were introduced.

Preventive measures have also been introduced to reduce risks in the future, the health institution said.

'The terrifying effect of the law'

Dorota's case is one of at least six deaths due to similar circumstances recorded since 2021, when the 2020 ruling came into effect, according to data from women's rights organization Federa.

The first case to attract much attention was 30-year-old Izabela Sajbor, who died in similar circumstances almost two years earlier, in September 2021.

Like Dorota, Izabela died of sepsis because doctors allegedly delayed terminating the pregnancy.

In July 2025, the doctors were found guilty of endangering her life.

Activists say that the cases of Dorota and Isabella, while relatively rare, clearly demonstrate the challenges doctors face when deciding at what point the law allows termination of pregnancy.

"Life-threatening is often interpreted as a need to respond urgently, which is practically a situation in which a woman is already dying due to pregnancy."

"This has caused a frightening effect (of the law) and they are avoiding having an abortion just in case, because if they terminate the pregnancy they could face criminal charges," says lawyer Budzovska.

'Stop killing us'

The ruling Law and Justice party, which played a key role in tightening the law, lost its majority in the 2023 parliament.

A new prime minister, Donald Tusk, a representative of the political center, was elected, whose party promised to facilitate access to abortion and legalize the provision of assistance to a woman intending to terminate a pregnancy.

Almost two years later, attempts to change the law have stalled, as Tusk's party entered a coalition with conservatives who oppose greater abortion rights.

Like his predecessor, Karol Nawrocki, the new Polish president opposes easing abortion legislation and has the right of veto, meaning that changes cannot be expected in the near future.

People in Poland are divided on this issue.

A 2023 Ipsos survey showed that 56 percent of Poles support abortion in most or all cases, while 34 percent oppose it.

With no indication that Tusk's promise will be fulfilled anytime soon, pro-choice activists have decided to take matters into their own hands.

In 2023, the women's rights group Federa won a court case that forced the legal definition of "danger to the life and health of a pregnant woman" to also take into account a woman's mental health.

A year later, the group opened a center in the capital, Warsaw, that provides advice to women on how to exercise their right to abortion in Polish hospitals.

These include terminations of pregnancy for mental health reasons, as well as support for termination of pregnancy abroad.

"Abortion is often a matter of life and death."

"It's the right to healthcare, and that's simply it," says Antonina Levandovska of Federa.

In August 2024, the Polish Ministry of Health issued amended abortion guidelines, which state, among other things, that the opinion of a qualified physician of the appropriate specialization is sufficient for terminating a pregnancy.

When the new rules came into effect in 2021, the number of legal abortions dropped drastically to 107 from 1.076 the previous year.

But in the last two years, the number of abortions has been increasing.

In 2023, there were 423 legal abortions and 896 a year later, while in the first half of 2025, 411 legal abortions were performed.

See what it was like on the streets of Poland after the decision to make abortion illegal

Pro-choice activists point out that in addition to the right to abortion in cases where it saves a life, women should also have the right to choose to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

In the immediate vicinity of the parliament building in the center of Warsaw, the AboTak center for abortion issues opened on March 8, International Women's Day.

It was opened by a group of volunteers to help women safely and legally terminate unwanted pregnancies in Poland.

This assistance includes providing information on how to obtain approved abortion pills, which are most commonly used to terminate early pregnancies.

Under Polish law, women are allowed to take abortion pills, but it is illegal to help someone else obtain and use them.

Women who come to the center are often "desperate" to terminate their pregnancies and without professional advice, they might seek salvation on the black market or take dangerous pills, says Justina Vidržinska, a women's rights activist and one of the founders of the AboTaka center.

She says she informs women which pills are safe and how to use them properly.

"If they don't feel safe at home, they can come here," Justina points out, adding that the center does not provide pills or give them to women.

In 2023, before the opening of the AboTaka center, Justina was sentenced to eight months of community service for sending abortion pills to a woman.

At the back of the AboTaka center, behind thick red velvet curtains, is a small room where women can take their pills with the support of staff.

The room is decorated with pink heart-shaped lamps and armchairs with cushions.

On the walls are messages of support from women who have previously used the center's services.

However, the opening of AboTak has sparked outrage from anti-abortion activists, who regularly protest outside the center using drums, whistles and vuvuzelas, which are usually heard at football stadiums.

Battery acid was even thrown onto the approach to the center.

"They make a lot of noise, use vuvuzelas, disturb us."

"Sometimes they are very aggressive," Justina points out.

Despite Poland's strict abortion legislation, AboTak claims they operate within the law.

"Everything we do here is legal, because we don't help people get pills, they can do that themselves."

"Providing support to people during that process is completely legal," says Justina.

But this is disputed by the conservative Catholic organization Ordo Iuris, which played a key role in reaching the 2020 ruling.

Anyone who helps a woman terminate a pregnancy is committing a criminal offense, says Katarzyna Grzesjak from this organization.

She rejects claims that the law is too strict, and blames doctors for cases like Dorothy's and Izabel's.

"The doctor's duty is to save a woman's life."

"If a child is dying or is already dead, Polish law provides for abortion in such cases," she says.

Ordo Iuris advocates the position that life begins at conception and that the fetus is protected by Polish law.

Instead of abortion, the organization says that women can anonymously leave unwanted babies in so-called boxes (windows), where they are safe and cared for.

In 2018, the Monastery of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in the city of Radom opened such a box, which it called the "window of life."

"He saves the lives of many children," says Sister Benjamin, pointing to a baby box.

Behind the window is a small room with a crib, diapers, milk, and teddy bears.

"For me, every life is valuable."

Benjamin's sister says that since the window of life opened, six children have been left in it, four boys and two girls.

One of these boys was briefly cared for by nuns until representatives of the relevant institutions arrived.

He was later adopted, and his new family stayed in touch with his sister Benjamin.

"I have a lot of pictures of him on my phone, he's four years old now," she says.

Dorota and Marcin were looking forward to parenthood.

They wanted to name him Vojtuš, after Dorota's late father, and were building a family house.

Marcin says that neither he nor Dorota supported abortion in cases of unwanted pregnancy.

But now she believes the law needs to change and provide clearer guidance to doctors on when they can terminate a pregnancy.

"If it would help in cases like this, when there is no way out, at least to save the mother's life and prevent that loss, then yes."

"If it would help, then I think the law should be changed," he adds.

Near the hospital where his wife died is the cemetery where Dorota and the baby they lost rest.

Their names are engraved on the monument and a glass lamp is placed there, in accordance with a long Polish tradition.

"That was her wish," says Marcin.

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